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If you’re like me, the public outcry that ensued when Janet Jackson flashed her nipple for all of half a second during a performance with Justin Timberlake at the 2004 Super Bowl seemed like much ado over nothing. But if you think Americans are overtly prudish, they have nothing on the Koreans. Last month, Korean pop star G-Dragon (of Big Bang fame) was accused of “dry humping” a dancer on a stand-up bed during the song “Breathe” at his “Shine A Light” concert.

Once pictures like the one above hit the internet, the outrage was almost instantaneous. It’s become such an issue in the country that this month, the South Korean government decided to step in and is investigating the incident. If he loses the case, G-Dragon faces a fine and up to a year in prison. His fans, including those who were at the concert, have started a petition in support of the pop star and the case is still pending. YG Entertainment, G-Dragon’s label, released an apology but otherwise no one involved with the incident has spoken about what happened. Until now.

The dancer being “dry humped” on stage by G-Dragon is Aimee Lee Lucas who happens to be a friend. I admit I know next to nothing about the Korean pop scene, but when I saw the stories and “offensive” photos of Aimee popping up online, well, I had to find out what really happened. Aimee was kind enough to hang out with me at a Starbucks on a rainy afternoon and talk publicly for the first time about the now infamous incident.

Although Aimee works as a dancer/choreographer for YG Entertainment, she’s not Korean. In fact, she’s a Filipina homegirl from the Bay Area, now living in L.A. Aimee studied ballet for 14 years before transitioning to hip-hop. And though she took her dancer training seriously, when she moved to L.A., the plan was to go to school and find a “real” job that had nothing to do with dancing. But when she tagged along with boyfriend Shaun Evaristo (also a dancer/choreographer) to a commercial audition, she ended up booking it herself and was soon dancing in an iPod ad.

Then, two years ago, Shaun was hired by YG to work with their artists in Korea and once the execs saw Aimee’s talent, they hired her too. Since then, she’s appeared in numerous concerts and videos with artists like Tae Yang and Big Bang. Here she is as the lead female dancer in Big Bang’s “Number One” video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tbg_dNO0QMg

So when Aimee performed the “Breathe” number with G-Dragon and the aforementioned stand-up bed, it was just another normal bit. She flew back to L.A. the morning after the last concert thinking all was normal but by the time she landed, the controversy had broken out all over the internet in Korea.

“I was shocked when I heard what was happening,” Aimee says. “We performed two shows on a Saturday and Sunday. All the VIPs and big people came out on Saturday and no one said anything. During rehearsals, no one told us we were going too far and should hold back. So the reaction was surprising.”

Initially, the internet comments directed at “the dancer in the number” were critical (“what is that girl thinking doing that?”), but once Aimee was identified as the dancer, most of the negative comments stopped. In fact, during the whole controversy, everyone associated with the number from G-Dragon to YG has been targeted and vilified—except Aimee who is not facing any of the charges, fines or jail time. “I think it’s because I’m American,” she says. “I’ve been told from the start that I’ll be treated differently because I’m American and that’s been the case.”

Here’s a clip of the offending bit shot by a famcam. Judge for yourself if you think it’s obscene:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gamtUQqG_-E&feature=player_embedded

When she first started performing in Korea, Aimee was surprised by the rabid, (very) young and female fan base of the K-Pop acts who would appear in the form of large mobs everywhere she and the musicians went. “When I became the lead dancer opposite Tae Yang, people joked with me that they were surprised I wasn’t dead,” she says, “that the fans didn’t come after me with pitchforks for doing what they all dreamed of doing with him.”

To understand the controversy, one must first understand the K-Pop scene. If Big Bang is like the Korean N’Sync with its more innocent and tween friendly music, G-Dragon is its Justin Timberlake—pursuing a solo career to explore more “adult” subject matter. His first solo album “Heartbreaker” was deemed inappropriate for children because of the lyrical content of several songs like “She’s Gone” (sample offensive lyric: “If I can’t have you, I’ll kill you.”). The songs are pretty tame by our standards; the content of an American pop song like Justin Timberlake’s “Rock Your Body” is downright pornographic compared to G-Dragon’s music (and I’m sure G-Dragon won’t be doing the Korean equivalent of this anytime soon). But because of the concert controversy, a new “investigation” has also been launched regarding the appropriateness of his album.

So here’s Aimee’s explanation of what happened:

Before the first creative meeting for the concert, Aimee was already thinking of ideas for the different numbers. Since the imagery of a bed was so strong in “Breathe,” she thought it would make sense to incorporate that into the piece. “At the meeting, G-Dragon had pretty much the same idea to do something around a stand-up bed,” she says. “He likes to let loose and push boundaries. Everyone agreed so that’s what we worked on.”

“There was no humping,” she continues. “If you watch the (footage), the whole bit lasts only a few seconds. He straddles me for a bit, we do some ‘acting’ and then we’re done. I had to lift myself (on the stand-up bed) and hang there and support all my body weight with my arms. I could only do that for a couple of seconds so there wasn’t any time to do any humping.”

Aimee thinks the controversy erupted because the first images to be posted online were photos of her hanging from the bed straddling G-Dragon with her legs wrapped around him which could be misinterpreted when seen out of context. By the time video footage from the concert hit the web a few days later, the damage had already been done. Since she left for America right after the concert, she hasn’t talked to G-Dragon about the incident but has heard from others at YG that he seems to be doing fine.

So is it just me or is this a ridiculous attempt by an artist-unfriendly government led by President Lee Myung-bak (who derogatorily referred to filmmakers as “hippies”) to make an example of a pop star in the name of family values? Aren’t there more pressing issues in the country to be worried about?

wow… he barely SITS on top of her for a few seconds. i believe its been blown way out of proportion. I’ve never been to Korean nor do i know the culture so it may be possible that their core values are different than Americans. Our entertainment scene is very sexual and full of worse scense than this. It just might be that that is how korea’s culture and core values are but I believe the punishment is way to severe…

This is just something that’s been blown out of proportion. It was a great performance, but people are just over analyzing it. He is alway getting attacked for different reasons. I’m still a fan of Aimee and GD.

My God!! I watched the footage and man, it’s not even dry humping at all..There was nothing suggestive..If you look at a stand still vid, D’uh! It’s going to look like it’s overboard BUT it was not at all..They LOOOOOOOOVE do over react and exaggerate stuff..I’m rooting for YG and GD! They’re the best thing that could ever happen in Korea music industry but they’re too narrow minded…

Hmm some say that the concert was viewed by 12 year olds and older and the suggestive scenes in She’s Gone were some of the causes of why the investigations have started. But yes everything in the show was so tame and the dry humping WTF do they know about dry humping but iono. In a way if the age rating would have changed it could have been better but the country is still somewhat conservative in thinking if what he did on stage would cause such a stir.

He is so innocent.
And Ate Aimee, you are so right; no dry-humping there and plus coming from you everyone should set their minds straight. You and GD did a fantastic JOB I can’t wait for the concert to be on sale here in Australia… Take care Ate Aims and say Hi to GD if you can
More power to you and Shaun ^^

hi!seriously,it’s just k-netizens that make big deal out of the matter.i’m a big fan of Big Bang, and had supported them starting from their trainee days. i’m clearly knew that skies is the limit for them.they’re not afraid to express themselves & explore new things! & seriously,to VIPs [Big Bang's fans],Aimee & Shaun is like part of YG family,we just love them!!we’re not gonna hurt them cause they’re family!

both of them are professional and it won’t happen any dry-humping on the stage….i’m kinda shock at first but when I saw the fancam, i feel like it was nothing. there is nothing wrong with it. i saw it as art which will complete the Breathe performance. when people think in rational way, they would know, what does i really mean.

The thing about Janet Jackson’s wardrobe malfunction isn’t the nipple exposure, it was (if the slip was actually scripted, which I believe it was) the suggestion of rapey behavior. That’s the part that is harder to explain to kids who are watching, not the fact that women have nipplage. But parents who weren’t able to identify or articulate exactly what offended them so went straight for the boob. In two words, nipple scapegoat.

This performance is choreographed to be a consensual act that looks a lot dirtier in the still photo than the actual video. But the controversy is no different than the Miley Cyrus pole dance in hoopla the US. And if I’m honest, not really worth writing about, even though I’m guilty of adding to the blather myself. I guess I’ll stop.

seriously, i find nothing wrong with the performance. The picture is quite shocking but after watching the video, it was nothing like that (dry humping and all). It was a performance, an art and i love how GD did something like that in his concert. That is how GD, the artist, wanted to express his song, so be it. Aimee and GD did a good job. I’m sad that the performance would not be included in the DVD.

I was studying abroad in Korea when the concert was being held and went to watch it on Sunday. I laughed at how the middle school and high school students screamed around me when it happened. The entire concert was amazing though! I thought GD, Aimee, and everyone involved did a wonderful job.

Almost all the foreigners think it was a good performance and all (including me). The problem is what Koreans think; I hope they will judge it properly and won’t bring harm to GD, YG and anyone. I’m already sad that I won’t be able to watch the whole concert on DVD cos it will be edited. I hope YG will release it in two versions.

you know, netizens are the one who are making this a big issue. who are they, who did not even pay to attend the concert, be the judge? who are they to rule that everyone in the audience was offended by the performance and has been ‘tainted’. and what about those who did enjoy the performance? are they immoral for enjoying it? netizens are so funny and hypocritical. screw korean culture, the korean media needs to work on not making netizen comments front page news.

I’m new to the Kpop scene, but I find Big Bang and GD to be the most interesting and exciting from the bunch. They seem to have personal flavor, uniqueness that is different from the other kpop groups that just sing and dance as they’re told. So good luck to GD, I’m glad there are artists like him in Korea… even if it seems they don’t appreciate him.

Hahahaha. exactly right!! I thought i was too naive or something when everybody was talking about Aimee getting dry-humped and I couldnt even see when it was it happened. BUt the truth is!! There really wasnt any dry humping! Netizens are horrible people Maybe if the Korean government could do something about THEM, it’d be better than them trying to investigate an artiste tryna push boundaries and tryna experiment with different kinds of music. And please She’s Gone is so sexy.. tsk.

I don’t think it should be a big deal. It was only for a few seconds. And besides they are good friends. It is not even dry humping, it was only dancing. And Ms. Aimee and GD had the same idea for the “Breathe” song, so it is not a big deal for me. GD is innocent. ^^

I’m a Filipina, and Ms. Aimee is, for me, a hardworking and amazing dancer. fighting~ Q(^_^Q)

..nice article.. about time that aimee speaks up regarding this ridiculous controversy…straight from the co-actress in that bed scene.. no dry humping happened… i hope korean gov’t can take her word for it… poor GD for being caught in a blown out of proportion issue..

I think the root of the problem is the K Pop culture itself.
They let the netizens and fans dictate what kind of lifestyle the artists should have…and they get away with it too.
The thought of those very young girls’ (and boys) possessiveness for their idols is scary and very delusional.
I have even read some articles wherein they are not even allowed to date coz their fans might get crazy and ruin their careers…WTH?Are they even fans?
I am a fan of many artists because of the kind of songs/movies they make…who cares who they go out with as long as they continue doing great work.

Hi guys ~
yeah I’m korean and I’m a big fan of BIGBANG
and I’m fifteen in AMERICA AGE
,As you know,, Korean culture and American culture is quit different . I always thinking about it.
Koreans are very conservative about sex or something like that. But i konw ,, Americans and another countries for example Japanese are open .
As a bigfan or g-dragon,, I can understand what he did …but i know it’s not good for him
but whatever many koreans (adults ) thought it’s bad for kids .. In the end,, It was the wrong performance.

It is very regreattable .
And it could be okay .
YEAH~
Thanks for Aimee~ and see you later .
-from Seoul Korea February 2nd . 22:56 PM
Sweet drems ~ guys~ JI-ha youn .

Wow. nice job with the article. I love it.
I’m a fan of GD and to be honest, I was a bit surprised when I saw the video clips but I really think it’s nothing. Well nothing for netizens to moan about. I just can’t understand how they overeact.

Anyway I believe GD. I believe he will get over this. I just can’t wait for DVD to come out. But it would be edited….duh, it pisses me off.

After all, I’m so proud of GD and that I’m a fan of such an artist like him.

Well, korean’s culture is much stricter than our culture and ways anyway. You see most of the songs out there? Their mostly about sex. You see that scene at a concert, with a song that could or could not be talking about sex and there you go, it pops up as scandalous. I think its mostly the culture, but they also are blowing it out of proportion.

great article. cleared everything up for me… I understand that the korean gov is trying to set an example and make the music industry think twice before putting things like that in performances. Yes in America we wouldnt care if people actually were “dry-humping” on stage, but thats not necessarily a good thing.
However gd is such a talented artist, and punishing him with jail time would only cause all 99% of the teens there to rebel. haha

He is innocent. Whoever says he is guilty is stupid. He wasn’t doing anything wrong, so he influenced a few children, he prepared them for the future, why is it that when Madonna does it its fine because she is Madonna, but when G-Dragon does it its wrong. Plus many children watch Madonna.

I don’t know what to say.
What’s wrong with korean parents?
I mean come on do you honestly think, that your child doesn’t know where the babies come from?
When you are 12 you are at the verge of puberty where you take interest in stuff like that and 12 year old in our time know much more than the parents think!
Dry humping what the hell?
In Hollywood love stories you can see all kinds of thinks and I am not talking about x-rated stuff but simple love scenes. It’s nothing exsessive but nobody says anthing. This is ok right? But this little touching on stage that’s the worst they have ever seen?
If so what about all the american artists you cann see al day on MTV. Let’s just take the HipHop Vids where some random black woman is only wearing a Bikini and rubbing herself all over the artist. This is MAYBE too much but still.
Come on we are in the 21st century!
Only if the korean parents don’t know!
Nowadays you start dating quite early and it’s possible to have your first kiss already at 14 and maybe your first time at 16. Just in case you didn’t know.
Youth nowadays doesn’t wait until they get married to do all this stuff!
So stop this ridiculous bashing and critisize what’s really bad in this world and leave my baby alone!
What ever they say the concert was awesome!GD was awesome! The songs are awesome!
He can be proud of what he has done!

I’m a VIP for so long as I can remember and I just recently watched the Shine a light concert… Well, I must confess that I was a little dismayed by some of the choreography that obviously implied sexual suggestions but for me it wasn’t enough for him to be jailed. Like WTF? The authorities should just probably let him pay a fine or something because it wouldn’t make any sense if they would imprison him. GD makes a hell lot of money so he could definitely afford it. I’m not saying this because I’m a fan of him or Big Bang however, imprisoning him would be like cutting the artist’s freedom of expression. On the contrary, GD should also be a bit mindful of his actions, because aside from the fact that he’s a public figure admired by a lot of people, he’s also living in a country where the culture is different from the western world. There’s a dozen of worst stage composition that happened which are more unpleasant than what he had done, but were uncared for since the place where the indecency occurred has a diverse culture and the people’s way of thinking is exaggeratedly open. He knows that South Korea is known for its high regard of values and morality so I guess being a tad heedful would not cost much. As a fan, I’m aware that he’s an all-around player, a versatile and a very talented artist and has a very broad and interesting insight with music; nevertheless if he’s trying to make a transition in KPOP, he should bear in mind the restrictions and the results this transition would harbor. If what he had done during his concert was a publicity stunt or something, then shouldn’t he just do something that would put his reputation in the good limelight rather than smudge his image to the mud of censure and criticisms by the public? I hope other VIP’s and fans out there would not hate the authorities for undertaking such actions, because it’s what they do; to ensure that the values and insights promoted by artists, who are highly revered in the society would be in accordance to the country’s principles and proper ethics. I know as well that GD is feeling despaired because of all these controversies thrown unto him at his first ever venture as a solo artist and I would like to extend my heartfelt sympathy to him. I suggest that if he does not want to be bashed again by the watchful and judgmental public he should avoid doing things that would taint his image and reputation, but not to the extent of restraining his own creativity, just be a little careful. I hope that he and the whole staff who organized the concert learned from their mistake in this issue, and would not do it again next time.
Nonetheless, regardless of everything, I still love Big Bang, and would look forward to their upcoming album. As long as they will continue to produce good music that will entertain people and promote wellness for the whole industry, I will still, at all respects, remain a loyal V.I.P.

shes to high up to be being dry humped it looks klike shes trying to get her balence to hold her waghit but some people are stupid if you cant handle it dont go to the shows and dont just try to get people in trubal to becuase that just makes you a ass and no one likes being the ass of the group i think the person who took this pic should apollogise fro trying to ruin someones life because thay wheren t closenogh to see what realy happend

netizens are over reacting like hellloooo that is called a show right??
don’t take it seriously cuz it’s part of the choreography!!
have u seen Usher’s concert??it’s way provocative than this so ghuyz take a chill pill!!!!!!!!!!!!

I am one of GD’s crazy fans……I love his songs and his style….He got swag unlike most of the other kpop idols. I am not Korean but I know a lot about korean cores and values and I believe that no matter who you are, a singer or a normal citizen,you are expected to show respect to your culture and values. Being a famous singer or actor doesn’t give you the right to violate these values….If GD was in USA or if GD was American, people wouldn’t feel that shocked because this dry humping thing is normal in places like USA but in a society like Korea…things are different….I am trying to be realistic and not biased…I wouldn’t say that GD is free to do whatever he wants and I wouldn’t say that people are making a big matter out of this show because mistakes and innapropriate behaviours should be revized and corrected……I don’t wanna forget mentioning that GD has plenty of fans from children’s side as well as teenagers’s side and this kind of shows will definitely have a very big impact on them. If you are famous and loved by a public…You are automotacially a leader or an example….and I am sure that GD is aware of this….I don’t want that GD sets an example for kids and youth through this show because only adults can watch it and among the public, there were not only adults but also kids and youth…..
I hope that this disaster doesn’t repeat itself because we wanna enjoy GD’s music and we want him to set a good “clean” example for all his fans… =)
We love ya though oppa! <3

I stumbled across this webpage accidentally, but whoa! what a bizarre controversy!

From the footage, they are definitely being overtly suggestive and controversial. However, I don’t believe that why they did warrants a year in jail. I do believe however, that he probably should be fined (if there are laws/policies against such displays), and the age rating on his concerts should be upped to 18 or something.

The more liberal of you may think that he should have a right to express his “art” anyway he wants to, and I don’t disagree with that. But parents should also have the right to make an informed decision about what to expose their children to, and if the concert is rated suitable for 12 years old, with the expectation that overtly sexual scenes aren’t suitable for 12 years old, well, then that’s misleading to the parents.

I’m REALLY surprised by some of the comments here claiming to be fans of GD, yet saying that he should ‘be clean’ ‘do this and that’
WHY?
His young fans have parents, that should be bringing them up right, it’s not up to GD to be the perfect role-model, he’s HUMAN! By the age of 12, most kids have seen some form of sexual suggestive scene on TV (even in Korea such as dramas or American movies etc), this is seriously NOTHING. This would not upset a 12 year old or make then run off and have sex… seriously people…

GD has a life, feelings, desires and dislikes, he’s a normal guy who is very talented. You want to cage him??? You honestly want to tie him up into what YOU think he should be? You want this talented person to crush his own artistic desires and ideas just so he can fit into your little box of ‘clean’??
Well, screw you! I hope GD continues to push and create what he feels he wants to do, I hope he continues to express himself through song, music and dance, in WHATEVER way he wants to, and to hell with all you people that want to drag him back down.
If he loses you guys as fans, no big loss, there will be plenty of others willing to give him the respect he deserves.

I just saw this article. I never knew what the problem was all about. I saw this girl walk in his videos and wondered how long any man could stand the pressure. He would never have had this problem if he had chosen a skinny girl with no lady lumps!!!

Even i can see how attracctive this girl is. She makes his videos awesome!!!! LEave the kid alone just tell him to put his libido in check!

I just saw this article. I never knew what the problem was all about. I saw this girl walk in his videos and wondered how long any man could stand the pressure. He would never have had this problem if he had chosen a skinny girl with no lady lumps!!!

Even I can see how attractive this girl is. She makes his videos awesome!!!! Leave the kid alone just tell him to put his libido in check!

i love big bang and GD, and ive been a fan of him fo 2 years. i know that GD is the most playful, innocent, cute, and non-dry-humper in this video neither is Aimee. these two are innocent. and i luv gd he’s not the kind of guy to do something so bogus knowing that it’s gonna cause a controversy on him and his entourage. and i think that all of his fans agree along with me.

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not such a big deal and besides- she said it herself that she he was supporting her on the ‘push up bed’ for like…SECONDS. I mean, this was blown way out of proportion and man…Compare the lyrics to western artists. it’s nothing.

This is just a performance, people are too serious about this. Seriously.. Just because of a performance he did for all of us he have to go to jail? It’s so stupid. People who make a big fuss over this can just go bang the﻿ wall and die. Lucky nothing happened to him!

Even if they were dry humping on stage (I know they weren’t. I watched the concert on Youtube), this is just too stupid. Jail time because of something so insignificantly tiny? Don’t they have bigger things to worry about? It’s not like he freaking raped her. Jesus, Korea is taking this waaay out of proportion. I know this happened a few years ago, but if I knew about this before, this is what I would have said.

I know this scandal occurred years ago but I really want to express my feelings right now to all the people that went ape over this small situation and even went as far as bringing him to court for supposedly “dry humping”. First of all, you’d have to be blind as to not see that it was just her wrapping her legs around his waist. I’m mostly pissed off because not only did he get shit for “dry humping” his dancer but he almost got sent to jail for this. JAIL for DRY HUMPING?! You’ve got to be shitting me. Even if he was dry humping her, that punishment is seriously fucked up. I know rules are stricter in Korea but they really need to tone it down. I’m also annoyed for him because I can only imagine what he was feeling back then, being taken to court for something so insignificant. My Jiyong was probably scared out of his wits. I wish I knew about this back in 2009. I would have been a lot more angry than I am now though.

This is what happens when you try and legislate morality. You have a government that tries to control what people think. Problem is that isn’t going to fly and they’re going to have a LOT more to worry about than a bit of choreography if they keep this up.
It’s very simply, if you don’t want your kids watching it, don’t let them. It’s not the government’s job to be a parent. At least is shouldn’t be.